


The Thrill of the Chase

by ClaireKat



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Miraculous: The Tales of Cat Noir and Ladybug
Genre: F/M, One Shot, finally getting to posting some of my older ladybug work oh here haha, one day i'll get them all on here!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 01:57:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4901146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaireKat/pseuds/ClaireKat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladybug is out on another nightly patrol, and of course, who else would come to bother her during such activities? What she didn’t expect was just how annoying he could be…maybe even annoyingly cute.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Thrill of the Chase

**Author's Note:**

> My original notes on this: "Number one, this is my first time writing for this fandom, and because relatively little is known about the show I’m sorry if I portrayed anyone way too OOC for someone reading this. I just got inspired by my cat and I had these characters in my head and I didn’t want the idea to go to waste! Also WHY CAN I NOT WRITE FLUFF WITH ZERO ANGST IT’S LIKE AGAINST MY PROGRAMMING AJDIOFJAIODJAIOSFJ!  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!"
> 
> My edited notes: I'm finally moving all of my one shots from my writing blog and such to my AO3!! I'd really appreciate a lot of comments and shares if possible, just because I want to know if people are interested in reading this stuff on here instead of just tumblr! Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

_Ah…the city lights are always so pretty from up here…_

            The blue haired heroine couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of the city she had been quite randomly called on to protect. Some days she felt that the job was tedious, some days she felt it was useless, some days she felt it was just a pain…but some days, like today, she felt gracious that of all the people in Paris, she was the one that had been chosen. It was still a mysterious thing to her, how fate had so perfectly aligned in order to be sure that she would be the one to become Ladybug. She had never felt particularly lucky, especially in matters of love, which only increased her doubt in her abilities from time to time. But tonight, she hadn’t run into any trouble, hadn’t dealt with any life threatening skirmishes. She was quite at peace, closing her eyes to focus on the feel of the wind as it caressed her cheeks and bid her pigtails to flow as though they were suspended in water.

            “I knew I would find you if I looked hard enough.”

            _Ugh_. So much for peace.

            “Why were you even looking for me in the first place?”

            “That’s a silly question for you to ask after all this time.” The boy who had joined her seemed unfazed by her chilly rebuff. He was used to it by now. He didn’t mind it. She was worth it. “Maybe I just wanted to make sure you were okay. The day I find out you’ve been gravely injured because I’ve failed to be there…that’ll be the day my heart breaks.”

            Marinette found herself clutching her own heart at the mention of heart break. Her own heart break was still so fresh in her mind. The boy that she wanted more than anything else, that she would give anything to see smile just once, because of her…she would give up her powers for that smile. She stiffened as she felt the sensation of something rubbing against her shoulder. Her eyes swept with the calm, isolated movement of a lighthouse as, to her dismay, she found the nuisance, Chat Noir, rubbing his chin against her shoulder.

            “You’re still as weird as _ever_ ,” she rebuffed him with more exuberance, clocking him in the face with the palm of her hand. “Honestly, I can take care of myself. I don’t need some rough and tumble tom cat thinking he needs to look after me.”

            Externally, Chat’s ears drooped in response to her rejection; inwardly, Adrien found himself cursing his bad luck cat side for being so forthrightly rude and repulsive. _Rubbing against another human being_. How degrading! It was no wonder this Ladybug heroine felt that his presence was nothing more than a nuisance to her. But that was just part of the transformation. As much as Adrien would have loved to think like a rational human being and not attempt such an unusual form of feline flattery again, he felt his muscles extending almost without his consent, and before he knew it he found himself curled up like a withered spring of catnip…in Ladybug’s lap.

            “What on earth do you think you’re doing?” Her words were biting, and he half expected her to deliver a severe slap that would send him off the side of the building…but for some reason, she stayed her hand. Chat popped one eye open, one of his ears drooping in a playful manner as his lips spread into a cheeky grin.

            “I’m sorry…really I am,” his tone was serious, and for once Adrien knew that his sincerity and apologetic feelings were getting through. “But honestly, don’t you know how impulsive cats are? One minute they’re ignoring you, acting like you don’t even exist in their world…and the next they’ve hopped into your lap and spilled that glass of milk you were just enjoying all over the place. Of course, none of it lands on them…cat’s also seem to have the worst luck.”

            She wanted to hit him. She wanted to kick him. Oh, she wanted to punch him to kingdom come. She was not in the mood for his antics tonight. Just when she thought that she was going to be getting a break…and now _this_. Curled up in her lap like she was his own personal sleeping cushion! She wouldn’t stand for it! She wouldn’t sit for it! But…oh, she really couldn’t lie to herself, he was so terribly adorable. His ears would twitch separately in response to the noises of the city he picked up, his face displayed a contentment that she was sure only cats—or people with catlike attributes—would ever be able to experience. She wanted to hit him, boy did she want to send him flying off the roof with a wound he’d be licking days from now…but instead, she patted his head.

            His eyes flew open at the sudden contact. He was going to ask her why, but that would be stupid, wouldn’t it? The only time she had ever shown any semblance of affection towards him…no, he wouldn’t question it. Too many things had happened in his life lately for him to rightly question anything anymore. His life had been turned upside down by that stupid cat ring, these stupid cat powers, and that stupid girl that didn’t understand his plight. Part of him wished he could make her understand. Part of him wished he didn’t have to hate her.

            But Ladybug was the priority. Ladybug was the only one who could break this curse. Maybe, just maybe, once the ring came off, and his streak of bad luck was far behind him…then maybe he would give her a chance. But for now, he wouldn’t drag her into this. He wouldn’t risk hurting her through a set of circumstances that he had little to no control over. What if she became a victim of these people he and Ladybug were fighting? They were formidable, they were diabolical, and they meant business. It wouldn’t take much for them to exploit a weakness once one presented itself…yes, it was better for both of them if he just kept pretending like he didn’t care one bit. Her safety was more important than the heartbreak.

            And of course, there was plenty of guilt on his part about the whole thing. After all, courting a woman involves both parties emotionally; he couldn’t imagine now what it would be like if Ladybug were to disappear. He couldn’t imagine himself abandoning her after his curse was broken, even if it was for that Cheng girl.  And goodness, Ladybug was a sight for sore eyes. Seeing her gracefully gliding through the air across the rooftops of the city, the sparkle in her eyes rivaling the moonlight that framed her…he felt his heart skip a beat just thinking about it. Her hand continued to stroke his blonde locks, and his ears had settled to a resting state that helped in blocking out the noise from the rest of the world. This scent that lingered around him now…it couldn’t be.

            “You’re still an annoying, stupid cat.” Her words were mumbled, but even with his ears depressed his could still hear them. “I don’t care how much you say I mean to you, or how much you want to kiss me, or how much…how much of anything. There are some people in my life that I could never abandon, not even if it was a necessity for _this_ part of my life…and that means that I certainly won’t abandon them for the likes of you.”

            He didn’t flinch at her words. He couldn’t even bring himself to feel hurt or deflected. There was a part of him that felt the same way—although it was a much more Adrien part of him than it was Chat. He didn’t wish to burden anyone else in his life as Adrien with his curse. He would continue to push people away, no matter how much it hurt him or them, until the time finally came when he could be free. For now, though, he was content. For now, the gentle brush of her delicate fingers against his hair and ears was enough to subdue the chaos that normally resided within him. She had such a calming effect on him, and to be honest, most of the times he found himself chasing her through the city simply on the urge of wanting to chase the red ribbons that fluttered in her hair.

            _This is_ not _the time for cat antics_. He thought to himself sternly. His ears twitched in agitation with his inner monologue, and his eyes popped open again as Ladybug’s strokes came more swiftly.

            “Were you seeing something bad?” Her voice sounded genuinely curious. “Your ears were twitching erratically…did you hear someone in trouble, is everything alright?”

            She was actually trying to soothe him. He felt a blush rise to his cheeks as his ears stiffened even more. He covered his mouth, which was thoughtless as it wouldn’t help at all, as the minute sound of a vibration began to pulse within his throat. _Damn this curse!_ He thought in panic, his ears drooping with dramatic speed as he scrambled out of her lap, the blush and the purr both still burning in his cheeks and throat. He didn’t know how to make it stop! It was just another impulse reaction of this stupid cat alter ego! He found himself purring without mental consent when he was reading his favorite book or eating his favorite meal. Of course, he found himself purring whenever he would think about Ladybug for too long—but he had never planned on actually purring in front of her!

            A giggle floated by his ears. The purring stopped. He turned around with sharp, curious eyes to inquire just where such a happy noise had come from. He hadn’t heard anything so girly out of Ladybug since they had started working together. Part of him had begun to wonder if she was even capable of letting loose…though, in her defense, he had never seen her outside of battles or other working conditions. That giggle was so familiar…

            “What’s so funny?” he decided to keep the humor going, even if it was at his expense.

            “You’re just…unpredictable.” Her smile dazed him. “You were right, cats are impulsive. I guess sometimes…not even to their benefit.”

            “Ladybug…”

            He was overwhelmed. By everything. He was overwhelmed with this radical change in his life, with the sacrifices he had had to make, with the evil that they were both facing, which was more than likely life threatening. There was so much he wanted to say. There was so much he knew he couldn’t say. Instead, he leaned closer to her, his eyes bypassing her expression as he concentrated on the soft temptation of her lips.

            He could taste her breath, and that was it. She was on her feet before he even knew what had happened. He got to his feet as well, more slowly, and felt a pang of guilt as she turned her back to him. Her arms were drawn up, and he could only assume she was holding her chest or covering her mouth. She was shivering. Had he really stunned her that dramatically? It was no secret that he was out to steal a kiss from her…but maybe, what was scaring her most, was that she was about to let him _take_ one.

            And that was exactly the case. But Ladybug knew she could never allow Chat to take that from her. He could never be her first kiss…that was reserved for Adrien. The enigmatic boy that shunned her presence every time she tried to interact with him…she would get to him one day. No one, not even he, could enjoy the lonely isolation that he pushed on himself. Deep down, Marinette knew that there was something he was hiding, something that was causing him to feel he had to push her away. He wasn’t a mean boy. He wasn’t hateful or malicious. He was misunderstood. He was unattainable. But someday, she would have him.

            She turned on her heel to face Chat. “C’mon now, none of that funny business! Geez, it’s the same thing every time, boys and their one track minds!” She sounded like herself again. “I’m finishing my rounds, and then I’m going home. And you better not follow me, you crooked cat!”

             She bounded across the rooftop and landed with a feather light pressure on the next. Chat could feel his fangs pressing into her lower lip as he smiled and watched her bound into the distance. He would catch up to her in no time. After all, half the thrill was the chase.

           


End file.
